[rikz]

A month ago I moved up to $200 NL on party. I lost 6 buy-ins in a week and moved back to $100 NL to re-evaluate my play. I found, for one thing, that my bluff continuation bets were getting called a lot more at $200 than at $100. I was playing about 19% V$VIP, 8% PFR, and 5 Tot Aggr.

When I moved down, I found that $50 NL 6-max had a lot of loose passives so I played that and full ring $100 NL. The experience of finding ways to deal with frequent calls with TPWK and 2nd button at $50 NL was very useful. For example, I've started limping from LP with mid-suited connectors as a primary tactic and raising with them as secondary one - only after establishing a tight table image. Previously I would raise any suited connector or semi-connector and continuation bet from LP every time I got one. In general, I've been working on hand reading and value betting instead of just playing multiple tables on TAG-bet-my-own-cards-auto-pilot like I had been when I was losing at NL $200.

In the last 3 weeks I've built back everything I lost at $200, and last night I went back to the $200. I started out nut peddling at 2-tables and won $100 (about 12% V$PIP and 3% PFR for the session!).

I figure that I'll nut-peddle until I don't get action, then change gears slowly until I do. Tighten up, rinse and repeat.

My problem a month ago was trying to force bad hands early in a session without having established any kind of solid table image. So, for example, I would raise 56s in LP every time I had a hand like that, continuation bet every time I'm checked to regardless of the flop, and often bet the turn with air if I had been called on the flop. That just turned out to be chip spewing.

So, although I don't expect to be super tight nit for my entire poker career, I am going to try being a nit at $200 at the start of each session and only change gears once I've build up a super-tight image and won a few hands. Then I'll start raising more in LP with suited connectors and such, hoping to win small pots because players have come to expect me to have at least a big pair when I raise or cb, and then maybe stack somebody when I flop or turn a concealed straight against 2-pair or a set.

To sumarize, maybe you should try being super tight for a while at the start of each session.